19 opposition parties to boycott parliament inauguration on May 28

Opposition parties said, “Prime Minister Modi’s decision to inaugurate the new Parliament building by himself, completely sidelining President Murmu, is not only a grave insult but a direct assault on our democracy which demands a commensurate response..”

New Delhi: A day after Trinamool Congress announced a boycott of the Parliament inauguration of the new parliament, 19 opposition parties decided to boycott the inauguration ceremony of the new Parliament building.

In a joint statement issued by the 19 political parties it has been said that when the soul of democracy has been sucked out from Parliament, we find no value in the new building: Joint statement of opposition parties.

"Prime Minister Modi's decision to inaugurate the new parliament building by himself, completely side-lining President Murmu, is not only a grave insult but a direct assault on our democracy... This undignified act insults the high office of the President and violates the letter and spirit of the constitution. It undermines the spirit of inclusion which saw the nation celebrate its first woman Adivasi President," the opposition parties said in a statement.

We announce our collective decision to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building: Joint statement of opposition parties, the statement read.

The 19 political parties include the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Trinamool Congress, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), the Left, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Janata Dal-United (JDU), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Samajwadi Party, Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena faction and others.

The announcement comes after Trinamool Congress decided on Tuesday to boycott the inauguration. Leader of the TMC in Lok Sabha Sudip Bandyopadhyay had said that the inauguration programme should have been held either on Independence Day, Republic Day, or on Gandhi Jayanti, and not on the birth anniversary of VD Savarkar.

"We have decided to boycott the inauguration programme of the new Parliament building on May 28. The inauguration should have been done on either Independence Day or Republic Day, or on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. It should not have been done on the birth anniversary of VD Savarkar," he had said.

Asked if the TMC raised its concerns with the Centre, Bandopadhyay replied positively. "The opposition parties have been kept in the dark about what will happen to the old Parliament building. The government is maintaining a stoic silence on it," he had said.